Lecture theater assignment

Lecture theaters- a place for students to learn (and eat).
This assignment that I am blogging about was a two weeks long assignment done by Yiteng, Christine and myself.

Task: Improving learning experience in lecture theaters

Experience is not in the product but it is in the way the product is understood in the real environment.

Our methodology for this assignment:

Ethnographic study

• Familiarize ourselves with the environment
• Collect information we are exposed to
• Make notes on everything that you see and hear
• Take pictures

We shut up and listen...

To add, we interviewed some of our friends regarding their usage of the lecture theaters.

OBSERVATION:

1. Human Factors
   
2. Environmental Factors

Human Factors:

• Some students would rather sit on the stairs than to move to the front.
• Students tend to sit near the aisle instead of moving towards the center of the row.
  
• More students are caught sleeping beginning from the middle portion to the back end of the LT.
• Pay more attention to jokes and examples ( e.g. short video)
  
• When there’s alternating/guest lecturers, students pay less attention.
• Decrease in attendance if module has webcast.
• In some lectures, students suggest that “lecture notes should be released/printed beforehand."
  
  
  
• No response to lecturer’s questions unless repeatedly probed.
  
  • Is it because the LT is too big that it becomes intimidating for students to voice out?
  • Is it because there is no incentives awarded for answering the questions?
  • Is it just our culture that we are less outspoken and afraid to fail?
  • Does it depend on the type of questions asked?
  
  

• Distractions
  
• Latecomers
  
• “They (students) have a tendency to talk among themselves except those sitting directly in front of the teacher."
• Students start getting fidgety after some time
• Booking of seats for friends- a disturbance when latecomers source for places to seat
  
• Using of handphones under table
• Talking behind the notes
• Students become “Noise and restlessness particularly after announcements”
• Turning of the pages of lecture notes creates noise disturbance when the lecturer continues to talk
• “Those who use laptops generally don’t concentrate on just the slides. They chat on MSN, surf around and play games. Quite a distraction.“
  

Environmental Factors:

• Full space of lecture theatre not maximized-- students tend to sit far from the lecturer.
  
• Orange lighting and dark purple walls make students sleepy
• Air-condition is too cold for comfort
• Limited leg space for people too walk through
  
• Table:
• Too small
• Spoilt tables not repaired
  
• Chairs:
  • Too far corner such that the person sitting there would be blocked by others
  • Too near to the screen, thus causing straining in the neck
• Doors:
• Creaking doors are a distraction
• Location of the doors (at the front) causes distraction especially when students enter after the lecture has started

Conclusion:

ULTIMATELY, how well a person learns depends on their determination to learn (Assuming, of course, the lecturer is willing and able to teach). There is no way to force a person to learn things against their will. There are ways, however, to minimize annoyances which are likely to distract students – and ultimately detract – from their learning experience.

Solutions:

SOCIAL
- Early arrivals
- Latecomers showing consideration
- Lecturer providing notes.

Environmental
- Adjust air-conditioning
- Oil the doors
- Remove faulty equipment

Proposals:
- Tablet PCs to greatly minimise noise resulted from the flipping of pages
- Webcast lectures so that students can study at their own pace and environment which best suit their learning experience.